Glass blocks have been known for many years but by and large they have been designed and used in conjunction with exterior construction, or, if used in conjunction with interior construction, generally only structural characteristics have been emphasized, presumably on the basis that the glass block must be capable of both interior and exterior applications, and the most rugged application must be provided for. Typical examples are shown in the Locke Des. U.S. Pat. No. 215,714 which pertains to a pilaster building block, the Fleming et al. Des. U.S. Patent No. 318,129 which pertains to a similar type of block, and the Mayer U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,937 which pertains to a glass block panel or wall construction in which the individual blocks function as bricks. All of these constructions have in common a bulky, boxy building block appearance and are intended primarily, if not solely, for utilitarian purposes; indeed, application of these blocks in environments in which they serve both aesthetic as well as utilitarian purposes are usually negated by their boxy appearance shapes and their universal or near universal characteristic of having a sealed interior space which extends over as large an area and space as possible (without detracting from its structural integrity) so as to have a maximum insulating capacity derived from the enclosed dead air space. With advances in living unit construction in recent years there has arisen a need for a glass block which has both utilitarian structural properties, including a good R factor, and an aesthetically pleasing appearance. In addition, since the glass block is intended to be used in an interior environment, it should also have additional capabilities unique to interior use, such as the ability to accept decaling.
Another reason why current glass blocks have been confined to a largely, if not entirely, utilitarian role is that they do not lend themselves to color hues and thus their aesthetic possibilities are very limited, if not non-existent. Although it would appear that colors would be capable of being applied to the interior of the enclosing walls in current blocks, it is believed that manufacturing considerations, including the joinder step which would undoubtedly deface any prior applied coating in an irregular manner, preclude the use of color as a practical matter. Hence there is no opportunity to customize glass block colors for purposes of coordinating the glass blocks with decorating schemes.
Further, current glass blocks provide no shelf space for nic-nacs or bric-a-brac.
And further, and very importantly, there is a need for an interior glass block having all of the above characteristics which, in addition, can be molded in one piece. By molding a single piece in a single operation the current expensive and time consuming practice of forming two halves separately and subsequently joining them together in a third process operation would be eliminated.